Kenneth Edward Benda

Kenneth was born June 14, 1939, in La Porte City, Iowa, to Edward and Maxine (Shaner) Benda. Ken grew up in the country outside of La Porte City. There, he helped the family to raise chickens and other small animals and learned about fixing cars.

He graduated from La Porte High School in 1957. While in high school, Ken was a manager for both the football and boys’ basketball teams. After high school, Ken headed to DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago for two years, where he earned his degree in electronics.

In 1965, he married Patricia Brown at the Church of the Brethren in Orange Township. Not long after becoming husband and wife, they moved to Florida and started their family.

Ken was part of the electronics team from Cape Canaveral, Florida, that put the man on the moon on Apollo 11 in 1969. He was very proud of his time at Kennedy Space Center. After returning to Iowa in 1971, he and Pat owned and operated Ken’s Electronics in La Porte City for 35 years. Ken started out repairing TVs, radios, and other related electronics. Products he later added to the shop for sale and service were Nutone appliances, large satellite dishes, Dish Network satellites, and model trains.

Ken was an active member of St. Paul United Methodist Church, Jaycees, Lions, and the Masonic Lodge. He served as chairperson of the trustee committee at St. Paul UMC. He was instrumental in selecting and installing the sound system in the church. For many years, he maintained and ran the sound system. Ken always enjoyed cooking and serving brats at the town celebration for the Jaycees’ yearly fundraiser. He served as a member of the La Porte City city council under two different mayors and as the assistant fire chief of the volunteer fire department. It was important to him to help others in his community through his services. In 2000, Ken and Pat were honored to receive the City of La Porte City Jesse Wasson Award for distinguished citizenship dedicated to community betterment.

Ken enjoyed time with his family and friends, spending as much time as he could attending his daughters’ and grandson’s events. He enjoyed card club evenings with friends, fire department meetings, and playing cards and games with his family. Ken collected Thunderbird model cars and built an extensive HO model train layout in his basement. Ken could build or repair almost anything. He put in a new engine and rebuilt the body of the van he used for years as his TV shop van. He repurposed building materials to build his garage. After he retired from the TV shop, he spent time repairing pocket watches and transferring VCR tapes to DVDs for others.

Ken is survived by his wife, Patricia, daughter, Christina (Brian) Jesse, daughter, Pamela (Dave) Steinick, and grandson, Gabriel Jesse.

Ken was preceded in death by his father, mother, and brothers, Dale and James.